THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

CE 337: CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS.

LABORATORY SYLLABUS – FALL 2010

Lab Sections: Section 001 (TUE 8:00AM – 11:00AM) & 004 (THR 8:00AM – 11:00AM)
Lab Location: 002 Hammond Building (Laboratory)
Teaching Assistant: Nima Kargah-Ostadi
E-Mail: nima@psu.edu
Office: 003A Hammond Building (the room above the lab)
Office Hours: Tuesdays 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM or by appointment
Required Text: CE337 Lab Manual, Spring 2010 Edition (Available in the Engineering
Copy Center, Room 101 Engineering Unit A)

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES FOR THIS LAB:

1. The student will conduct material tests given calibrated equipment and a concise procedure to obtain
data falling within an expected range based on the mechanical properties of the material.
2. Given an accepted industry standard report format, the student will develop a proficiency in technical
writing by preparing a professional document written in the 3rd person, and demonstrating a mastery of
style and grammar.
3. Using the data obtained in the laboratory exercises, the student will enter mathematical functions in
Microsoft Excel (or similar program) to perform all calculations and derive the expected numerical values.

GENERAL NOTES:

Each lab section will be divided into six teams (groups), each with a team leader. The team will
elect the leader at the beginning of the semester, and submit the group list, with the leader
identified, to the TA. The leader can be changed anytime afterwards as long as the TA is
notified prior to the change. The team leader is to be the primary contact with the TA, and is
responsible for maintaining the data, ensuring cooperation between members, lab station
cleanup, and end-of-lab checkout (see the cleanup section of the syllabus for details on
checking out).

The first three lab exercises will be conducted on a rotating basis with each team conducting a
different exercise or exercises each week.

All lab exercises and the related data sheets MUST be completed during the lab session, with
the exception of lab write-ups and post-lab analysis of the data.

Lab Report Notes:

One of the primary objectives of this laboratory is to improve your report/technical writing skills.
ALL reports for this class should be regarded as “formal” in the sense that it should be worthy
of submission to any supervisor or employer in the “real world.” Spelling, grammar, and
neatness count in addition to content. If you have questions regarding these items, please see
the TA. The additional resources on report writing discussed during the first lab should also be

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used as reference. Reports must be organized and well thought-out; your reports must be
professional. Each report should include all parts expressed in the first class presentation on
report writing and technical writing style.

All reports must make use of professional computer programs such as Microsoft Word and
Excel. You will use these extensively on future jobs, and must demonstrate to the TA a clear
understanding of the use of these programs.

Lab reports must be submitted at the beginning of the lab one week after the exercise was
conducted, unless the due date is otherwise noted by the TA at the time of the experiment.

LABORATORY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:

1. Attendance is absolutely mandatory. You must notify your TA within 24 hours of your
scheduled lab that you will be absent, and the absence must have a valid excuse. You
must also arrange with your TA and the other TA(s) to make up that laboratory within
the same week as your scheduled lab to obtain full credit for the lab session. If that is
impossible, other arrangements may be made at your TA’s discretion. Missing a lab
without a valid excuse or advance notice still requires that you make up
the exercise. Not making up the exercise will not only result in a zero for that exercise,
but will also result in a deduction of 5% from your overall semester grade. Making up
the exercise will earn you up to 50% for that exercise. Both an excused and unexcused
absence require you to compose an individual lab report, which is due the next time
your section meets. Being late to lab will result in a deduction from the participation
portion of your grade.

2. Personal conduct is expected to be professional. Do not bring food and beverages

into the laboratory; do not engage in horseplay or disruptive behavior, or other
unprofessional behavior. You are to be on time to lab, and to pay attention during
presentations. Participating in discussions during the presentation portion of the lab will
not only help your participation grade, but will increase your understanding of the
material for the experiments which you will conduct.

3. Quizzes will be handed out at the beginning of lab. Students late to class will not be
able to make up the quiz and a zero will be earned for that week’s quiz.

4. Dress is to be appropriate for a laboratory. Wear long pants (i.e., jeans) and closed-
toed shoes (no sandals). Inappropriate clothing worn to a lab session is grounds for
dismissal from that laboratory period. Also, some labs will be quite messy, so be sure to
wear clothing and shoes that you do not mind getting dirty.

5. Clean up after yourselves. This lab is shared by many other classes and sections, and
it is considerate to ensure that all waste is disposed of properly before you leave lab and
that all equipment is properly returned to its original location or to a specified locker.
Throw out all major waste in the dumpster outside of the laboratory. Team leaders
must check out with your TA at the end of each laboratory session by having their data
sheets signed. The TA will then check the team’s lab station to ensure cleanliness and
then dismiss the team. Failure to check out will result in a 10% reduction in the lab
grade. Any damaged tools and materials should be submitted to the TA before the end
of the lab session. Appreciation of a sincere and diligent effort in keeping the
experiment station clean will be built into your lab grades.

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GRADING:

In general, the lab grading is broken down as follows:

Weekly Lab Quizzes 35% Letter Letter

Grade Percentage Grade Percentage
Weekly Group Reports 50%
*Individual Lab Participation 15% A > 94% C 70-75%
A- 90-93% D 60-69%
TOTAL 100%
B+ 87-89% F < 60%
B 84-86%
B- 80-83%
C+ 76-79%

There will be a 10% deduction from the report grade for each day a lab report is late.
Furthermore, three of the final lab exercises will require one member from each group to return
to the lab 24 hours after the exercise is conducted to remove aggregate from the ovens,
demold mortar cubes, and demold concrete cylinders. Failure to do so will result in a 50%
reduction from that exercise’s grade for the group, so please ensure that one group member
will be present at those times. Please note that although some labs are worth more than
others, these deductions are applicable to ALL labs.

Extra credit may be received individually on any of the first three lab reports by including a
section entitled “New Age Information,” concerning an advance in the testing technology or the
material you tested in lab. This section must be presented in a descriptive abstract format. A
printout or photocopy of the article or paper, including the author’s abstract, must be attached
to the extra credit. To locate valid resources, use the search techniques discussed in class,
such as the University Library’s “Compendex” system or ProQuest Direct.

Specific grading for the reports is outlined in the Grading R ubric , included with the lab
manual. All other grading concerns are in compliance with University Faculty Senate Rules 47-
00, 48-00, and 49-00.

*Includes: Lab Supplements, Discussion Board activity / postings, and Attendance

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

All students are expected to adhere to the University’s Academic integrity policy per Rule 49-20.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabrication of
information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized
possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without
informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Violations will
result in a minimum penalty of a zero for the exercise during which it occurred, with a
maximum penalty of a zero for the course, for all group members. For more information on
academic integrity please reference:
http://www.psu.edu/dept/ufs/policies/47-00.html#49-20
http://www.psu.edu/dept/oue/aappm/G-9.html

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Table 1. Laboratory Schedule – Fall 2010

Week
Topic and Reading Assignment
No.
1 No Lab
24-Aug.

2 Introduction to Lab: Syllabus, Schedule, Technical Writing Review,

31-Aug. and Some Measurement Devices Review

Lecture(s): 3 Rotational (During Weeks 4-6, teams will rotate between the different
3 exercises.)
07-Sep.

4 Exercise 01: Time Dependent Deformations and Modulus Measurement

14-Sep.

5 Exercise 02: Mechanical Properties of Wood

21-Sep.

6 Exercise 03: Permeability Characteristics of Soils

28-Sep.

7 Exercise 04: Specific Gravity and Absorption Characteristics of Aggregates

05-Oct.

8 Exercise 05: Gradation of Coarse Aggregates and Fines

12-Oct.

9 Exercise 06: Atterberg Limits in Soils

19-Oct.

10 Exercise 07: Portland Cement Mortar and Concrete

26-Oct.

11 Exercise 08: Soil Compaction

02-Nov.

12 Exercise 09: Consolidation and Direct Shear of Clay

09-Nov.

13 Exercise10: Unconfined Compression Tests in Clay

16-Nov.

14 Thanksgiving Break
23-Nov.

15 Exercise 11: Bituminous Binder and Mixture Testing

30-Nov.

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 Table 2. Rotation Schedule*

Exercise No.
Week No.
Team 1&2 Team 3&4 Team 5&6
4 1 2 3
5 2 3 1
6 3 1 2

*Note: This is important because you will be expected to take the correct quiz each week prior to lab.